Taiwan-inspired toilet eatery makes a splash in US

NO. 2 IS NO. 1:：The idea for the quirky restaurant was taken from a Taiwanese bathroom-themed diner, staff said, adding that the cuisine is also inspired by Taiwan

AFP, LOS ANGELES

Wed, Oct 23, 2013 - Page 7

A restaurant billed as the US’ first toilet-themed eatery has just opened in Los Angeles and is packing in diners after a wave of free publicity for the concept, said to be imported from Taiwan.

The Magic Restroom restaurant, where customers sit on ceramic bathroom bowls and eat from toilet-shaped tableware, did brisk business on its first weekend.

Some might wonder who would want to eat surrounded by reminders of where the food ends up, but Friday’s grand opening was by all accounts a huge success, fueled by media interest from around the world.

“Business for the past couple of days has been very good. It’s always a full house with customers waiting in the lobby,” waiter Daniel Chyan said as diners bustled around him on Sunday.

The idea comes from Taiwan, he said, where a bathroom-themed eatery called Modern Toilet is based that has branches all over Asia.

A random poll of customers on Sunday suggested the eatery has the right ingredients for success. Denesse Elias said her chicken was served in a urinal while a shrimp rice order came in a small toilet.

“It was kind of weird at first eating from them,” she said. “But the food was really good so it didn’t make a difference.”

Tania Moore added: “I was like, Magic Restroom Cafe? What is that? And we walked in and there just were toilets everywhere. It was really interesting. It was cool.”

Even a customer from France — a country notorious for having demanding gastronomic standards — was impressed.

“The food is very well presented. It’s in little toilets so it’s quite funny,” said Marjorie Decriem, who lives in Los Angeles. “You have to choose your dishes carefully because some are more appetizing than others, but the food is very good. I think we will return with friends because it’s really a place to discover.”

The launch has made toilet humor headlines around the world, including “Owners of ‘Restroom Cafe’ flush with success” by the Washington Post and “Poop for dinner? Restroom-themed eatery serves up unsavory-named dishes” by the Daily Mail.